by V. V. Vide
CHAPTER III.
SUPERSTITIOUS FEAR AND VACILLATING POLICY OF MONTEZUMA.
~The land was ours--this glorious land-- With all its wealth of woods and streams-- Our warriors, strong in heart and hand, Our daughters, beautiful as dreams.~
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~And then we heard the omens say, That God had sent his angels forth To sweep our ancient tribes away--~
While these events were transpiring in the ever moving camp of thevictorious invaders, the imperial court of Tenochtitlan was agitated anddistracted by the divided counsels and wavering policy of thesuperstitious, fear-stricken monarch, and his various advisers. At onetime, deeply offended by their audacious disregard of his positiveprohibitions, and roused to a sense of his duty as a king, by theprophetic warning of Karee, which never ceased to ring in his ears,Montezuma was almost persuaded to give in to the war-party, and send outan army that should overwhelm the strangers at a blow. But, before thisnoble purpose had time to mature itself into action, all hissuperstitious fears would revive, and, without coming to any decisioneither to move or stand still, he would pause in timid inaction, tillsome new success had made the invaders more formidable than before, andinvested their mission with something more of that preternaturalsacredness, which alone had power to unman the monarch, and disarm hiscraving ambition. At each advance of the conquering Castilians, herealized the growing necessity of prompt and efficient measures ofdefence, while at the same time he felt a greater reluctance to contendwith fate. The result was, that he only dallied with the foe, bycontinually sending new embassies, each, with larger and richer presentsthan the preceding, having no effect but to add fuel to their alreadyburning thirst for gold, and strengthen their determination toaccomplish their original purpose.
These royal embassies were less and less firm and peremptory in theirterms, until they assumed the tone of expostulation, and assigningvarious and often conflicting reasons why the Spaniards should notpursue their route any farther towards the imperial city. At length,when the courier announced the arrival of the mysterious band atTlascala, and the consummation of the alliance between them and his oldand bitter enemies, together with the defection of many cities anddistricts, he felt it impossible to remain any longer undecided. Histhrone trembled under him. He must act, or it would fall, and involvehim and his house in inevitable ruin. Instead, however, of a bold andmasterly activity in the defence of his capital and crown, he changedhis policy altogether, and sending a new embassy with more splendidgifts than ever, invited the strangers to his court, and promised themall the hospitalities of his empire. He designated the route they shouldpursue, and gave orders for their reception in all the towns and citiesthrough which they should pass.
Montezuma was politic and wise in some things; and the purpose he hadnow in view, if it had not been frustrated, would have been deemed amaster-stroke of policy, worthy of the ablest disciples of theMacchiavellian school. Perceiving the necessity of breaking up thiscombination of new and old enemies, he had recourse to stratagem toeffect it, intending that the strangers, whom he dared not to opposewith direct violence, should fall into the snare they had laid forthemselves, in thrusting themselves forward, in despite of his repeatedremonstrances, into the heart of his empire. He feared to raise his ownhand to destroy them, because they were, in his view, commissioned ofheaven to overturn his throne; but he deemed it perfectly consistentwith this reverence for the decrees of fate, to lay a snare into whichthey should fall, and so destroy themselves. He little understood thewatchfulness and circumspection of the man he had to deal with, or thetremendous advantage which their armor of proof and their engines ofdestruction gave the Europeans over the almost naked Mexicans, withtheir primitive weapons of offence. It was his plan to separate theforeigners from their new Indian allies, and invite them to come aloneto the capital, as was first proposed. And he designed to assign themaccommodations in one of the ancient palaces, in the heart of the city,where, surrounded by high walls, on every side, they should be shut upfrom all intercourse with the people, and left to perish of famine.
When this purpose was formed, the monarch kept it a profound secret inhis own breast. The ambassadors whom he sent to the Castilian camp, wereof the highest ranks of the nobility, and were accompanied by a longtrain of slaves, bearing the rich presents, by which the wily monarchhoped at the same time to display his own royal munificence, and topropitiate the favor of the dreaded strangers. Every new display of thiskind only served more effectually to defeat his own hopes; for theavarice of the Spaniards, whose lust of gold was absolutely insatiable,was so far from being satisfied with this profusion of royal gifts, thatit was only the more inflamed with every new accession to theirtreasures. The only effect, therefore, of these repeated embassies wasto confirm the Spaniards in their convictions of the conscious weaknessof the Mexicans, and make them the more resolute in pushing forward tocomplete the subjugation of the whole country, and possess themselves ofall its seemingly inexhaustible treasures of gold.
Montezuma had now another difficulty to contend with, in his endeavor torid himself of the intruders. The Tlascalans represented him to Cortezas false and deceitful as he was ambitious and rapacious, and used everyargument in their power to dissuade him from committing himself to hishands. But the bold adventurer, always confident in his own resources,seemed never to think of danger when an object was to be accomplished,or to regard any thing as impossible which he desired to attain. Assoon as the door was thrown open to his amicable approach to thecapital, he set himself to prepare for the march. The expostulations andsuspicions of the Tlascalans made him, perhaps, more careful in hispreparations against a surprise, and more rigorous in the discipline ofhis little corps, than he might otherwise have been. Wherever he was,his camp was as cautiously posted, as fully and rigidly guarded as if,on the eve of battle, he was hourly expecting an assault. Thiswatchfulness was maintained throughout the whole adventurous campaign,as well when in the midst of friends and allies, as when surrounded byhostile legions.
After the royal ambassadors had departed with their pacific message, themind of Montezuma was harassed and agitated with many doubts of thepropriety of the course he had adopted. His nobles, and the tributaryprinces of the neighboring cities of Tezcuco, Tlacopan, and Iztapalapan,were divided in their opinions. Some complained, though not loudly, ofthe weak and vacillating policy of the king. Some, even of the commonpeople, feared the consequences, anticipating the most disastrousresults, in accordance with their superstitious veneration for theoracles of their faith. The third day after the departure of the envoys,the king was pacing up and down one of the beautifully shaded walks ofthe royal gardens, listening with a disturbed mind to the powerfulexpostulations of his brother, Cuitlahua, who, from the beginning, hadvehemently opposed every concession to the invaders, and urgentlysolicited permission to lead the army against them, and drive them fromthe land. Suddenly, a voice as of a distant choir of chanters arrestedhis ear. The melody was solemn, sweet and soothing. It seemed to comesometimes from the upper regions of the air, in tones of silveryclearness and power, sometimes from beneath, in suppressed and muffledharmony, as when the swell organ soliloquises with all its valvesclosed,--sometimes it retreated, as if dying into an echo along thedistant avenues of royal palms and aged cypresses, or the citron andorange groves that skirted the farther end of the garden, and then,suddenly, and with great power, it burst in the full tide of impassionedsong, from every tree and bower in that vast paradise of terrestrialsweets. Enchanted by the more than Circean melody, the brothers pausedin their animated discourse, and stood, for a few moments, in silentwonder and fixed attention. Presently the chanting ceased, and onesolitary voice broke forth in plaintive but emphatic recitative as fromthe midst of the sparkling jet that played its ceaseless tune in thegrand porphyritic basin near which they stood. The words, which weresimple and oracular, struck deep into the heart of Montezuma, and founda ready response in that o
f his royal brother.
The lion[C] walks forth in his power and pride, The terror and lord of the forest wide-- When the fox appears, shall he flee and hide?
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The eagle's nest is strong and high, Unquestioned monarch of the sky-- Should he quail before the falcon's eye?
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The sun rides forth through the heavens afar, Dispensing light from his flaming car-- Should he veil his glory, or turn him back, When the meteor flashes athwart his track?
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Shall the eagle invite the hawk to his nest? Shall the fox with the lion sit down as a guest? Shall the meteor look out from the noonday sky, When the sun in his power is flaming by?
The pauses in this significant chant were followed by choral symphonies,expressing, as eloquently as inarticulate sounds could do, the mostearnest remonstrance, the most moving expostulation. When this wasconcluded, the same sweet voice broke forth again, in tones of solemntenderness and majestic power, in a prophetic warning to Montezuma.
Beware, mighty monarch! beware of the hour, When the pale-faced intruder shall come to this bower! Beware of the weakness that whispers of fear, When the all-grasping, gold-seeking Spaniard is near! Beware how thou readest the dark scroll of fate! Its mystic revealings may warn thee too late, That the power to command, and the strength to oppose, Are gone, when thou openest the gate to thy foes. The white men are mortal--frail sons of the earth, They know not, they claim not, a heavenly birth; They bow to disease, and they fall by the sword, Pale fear can disarm them, grim death is their lord; And those terrible coursers, so fiery and strong, That bear them like ravenous tigers along, The fleet winged arrow shall pierce them, and slay, And leave them to eagles and vultures a prey.
Up, monarch! arouse thee--the hour is at hand When the dark howling tempest shall sweep o'er thy land. Thy doubts and thy fears, ever changing, are rife With peril to liberty, honor and life; And this timid inaction shall surely bring down To the dust, in dishonor, thy glorious crown; And leave, to all time, on thy once-honored head, The curse of a nation forsaken, betrayed. Oh! rouse thee, brave monarch! there's power in thy hand To scatter the clouds that hang over thy land. Speak, speak but the word, there is magic in thee, Before which the ruthless invader shall flee, And myriads of braves, all equipped for defence, Shall leap at thy bidding, and banish him hence; And the gods, who would frown on the recreant slave, Will stand by their altars, and fight for the brave.
The effect of this mysterious warning upon the mind of Montezuma wasexceedingly powerful, and seemed, for a time, to change his purpose andfix his resolution. With an energy and decision to which he had longbeen a stranger, he turned to his brother, and said, "Cuitlahua, you areright. This realm is mine. The gods have made me the father of thispeople. I must and will defend them. The strangers shall be driven back,or die. They shall never profane the temples and altars of Tenochtitlan,by entering within its gates, or looking upon its walls. Go, marshallyour host, and prepare to meet them, before they advance a stepfurther."
Exulting in this sudden demonstration of his ancient martial spirit inhis royal brother, and fired with a double zeal in the cause he had somuch at heart, by the thrilling influence upon his soul of themysterious oracle, whose message had been uttered in his hearing,Cuitlahua scarcely waited for the ordinary courtesy of bidding farewellto the king, but flew with the speed of the wind, to execute thegrateful trust committed to him. Despatching his messengers in everydirection, only a few hours elapsed before his army was drawn up in thegreat square of the city; and, ere the sun had gone down, they hadpassed the gates, traversed the grand causeway that linked theamphibious city with the main land, and pitched their camp in afavorable position, several leagues on the way to Cholula.
The ardent imagination of the prince of Iztapalapan kindled at theprospect now opened before. The clouds, so long hanging over his belovedcountry, were dissipated as by magic, and the clear light of heavenstreamed in upon his path, promising a quick and easy conquest, aglorious triumph, and a permanent peace. He had been in many battles,but had never been defeated. He believed the Mexican army invincible anywhere, but especially on their own soil, and fighting for their altarsand their hearths. Terrible as the invading strangers had been hitherto,he had no fear of the coming encounter. He confidently expected toannihilate them at a blow. Happily his soldiers were all animated withthe same spirit, and they took to their rest that night, eager for themorning to come, that should light them on their way to a certain andglorious victory.
No sooner had the army departed, than a change came over the spirit ofthe ill-fated Montezuma. The demons of doubt and fear returned toperplex and harass his soul, and to incline him again to thatvacillating policy, those half way measures, by which his doom was to besealed. In an agony of distrust and suspense, he recounted to himselfthe history of the past, reviewing all those dark and fearfulprophecies, those oft-repeated and mysteriously significant omens,which, for so many years, had foreshadowed the events of the presentday, and revealed the inevitable doom of the empire, sealed with thesignet of heaven. The impressions produced by the recent warnings ofKaree faded and disappeared before the deep and indelible traces ofthose ancient oracles, on which he had been accustomed from his youthsacredly to rely. He was once more adrift in a tempest of contendingimpulses, at one moment abandoning all in a paroxism of despair, atanother, vainly flattering himself with the hope of deliverance in someill-formed stratagem, but never nerving himself to a tone of resolutedefiance, or venturing to rest a hope on the issue of an open encounter.
The result of all this agitation was, another abandonment of his noblepurpose of defence, and a new resort to stratagem. But the plan ofoperations, and the scene of execution, were changed. Cholula wasselected as the theatre of destruction. The Spaniards had already beeninvited to take that city in their route, and orders had been given, andpreparations made, for their hospitable reception. It was now resolvedto make their acceptance of that invitation the signal and seal of theirdestruction. They were to be drawn into the city, alone, under thepretence that the presence of their Tlascalan allies, who were theancient and bitter enemies of the Cholulans, would be likely to createdisturbance in the city, and lead to collision if not to bloodshed. TheCholulans were instructed to provide them with a place of encampment, inthe heart of their city, where they could easily be surrounded, and cutto pieces. The streets of the city were then to be broken up by deeppits in some places, and barricades in others, to impede the movementsof the horses, more dreaded than even the thunder and lightning of theirriders. This being completed under cover of the night, the city was tobe filled with soldiers ready to do the work of execution, while thebrave Cuitlahua, with the flower of the army of Tenochtitlan, was toencamp at a convenient distance without the walls, to render promptassistance, in case it should be needed.
This plan being fully arranged in the mind of the Emperor, messengerswere despatched with the light of the morning, to arrest the movementsof Cuitlahua, and convey the necessary orders to the governor ofCholula. The warlike chieftain was deeply chagrined, and bitterlydisappointed, in finding his orders so suddenly countermanded. He sawonly certain ruin in the ever-wavering policy of the king, and wasunable to conceive of any hope, except in striking a bold and decisiveblow. He was willing to stake all upon a single cast, and drive back theinsolent invader, or perish in the attempt. But Montezuma was theabsolute monarch. His word was law; and, though not irreversible likethat of the Medo-Persian, it was never to be questioned by any of hissubjects. The hero must therefore rest on his arms, and await the issueof a doubtful stratagem.
Meanwhile, the eager and self sufficient Castilians had pushed forwardto Cholula, and entered its gates, under a royal escort, that came outto meet them, and amid
the constrained shouts and half heartedcongratulations of a countless multitude of natives, who with mingledfear, hatred and curiosity, gazed on the conquerors as a superior raceof beings, and made way for them on every side, to take possession oftheir city. They were received with the greatest deference andconsideration by the chiefs of the little republic, and the ambassadorsof Montezuma, who had halted on their way, to prepare a more honorablereception for their guests, and further to ingratiate them with theirmaster, by doing away, as far they could, the unfavorable impressions ofhim and his people, which might have made on their minds, by theirintercourse with their old and implacable enemies of the republic ofTlascala.
Such was the mutual jealousy and hatred of these neighboring nations,that, while the Cholulans could, in no wise agree to admit theTlascalans to accompany Cortez into their city, they, on their part,were extremely reluctant to allow him to go in alone, assuring him inthe strongest terms, that they were the most treacherous and deceitfulof men, and their promises and professions utterly unworthy ofconfidence. Scorning danger, however, and determined at all hazards, toembrace every opening that seemed to facilitate his approach to theMexican capital, he marched fearlessly in, and took up his quarters inthe great square, or market place. Here, ample accommodations wereprovided for him and his band. Every courtesy was extended to them bythe citizens and their rulers. Their table was amply supplied with allthe necessaries and luxuries of the place. They were regarded with akind of superstitious awe by the multitude, as a race of beingsbelonging to another world, of ethereal mould, and supernatural powers;and their camp was visited by those of all ranks, and all ages, eager tocatch a view of the terrible strangers.
A few days after their arrival, a new embassy from the imperial palacewas announced. They held no communication with Cortez, but had a longconsultation with the previous envoys still remaining there, and withthe authorities of the city. From this time, there was a striking changein the aspect of the Cholulans towards their guests. They were soon madeto perceive and feel that, though invited, they were not welcome guests.The daily supplies for their table were greatly diminished. Theyreceived but few and formal visits from the chiefs, and but coldattention from any of the nobles. Cortez was quick to perceive thechange, but unable to divine its meaning. It caused him many an anxioushour, especially when he remembered the serious and urgentrepresentations of his Tlascalan allies of the deceitful and treacherouscharacter of the Cholulans. His apprehensions were by no meansdiminished, when he learned from the morning report of the night guards,that through the entire night, which had hitherto been a season ofperfect silence and repose in the city, sounds were heard on every side,as of people earnestly engaged in some works of fortification, sometimesdigging in the earth, sometimes laying up stones in heaps, and invarious other ways, "vexing the dull ear of night with uncouth noise."It was found, on examination, that the streets in many places werebarricaded, and holes, in others, were lightly covered with branches oftrees. Unable to explain these matters, and not wishing to give offenceto his entertainers by enquiring too curiously into what might be nomore than the ordinary preparation for a national festival, he sent oneof his chief officers to report to the Tlascalan commander, without thegates of the city, and enquire what might be the meaning of thesesingular movements. Having learned in reply, that a hostile attack wasundoubtedly contemplated, and that a large force of Mexicans, undercommand of the brave Cuitlahua, brother of Montezuma, was encamped at nogreat distance, ready to co-operate with the Cholulans at a moment'swarning, and that a great number of victims had been offered insacrifice, to propitiate the favor of their gods, the haughty Spaniardfound his position any thing but agreeable. He was a stranger to fear,but he was certainly most sadly perplexed. And, when, in addition to theinformation already received, he learned from Marina, his femaleinterpreter, that she had been warned by a friend in the city to abandonthe Spaniards, that she might not be involved in their ruin, he was, fora time, quite at a loss what to do. To retreat, would be to manifestfear, and a distrust of his own resources, which might be fatal to hisfuture influence with the natives. To remain where he was--inactive,would be to stand still in the yawning crater of a volcano, when theovercharged cauldron below had already begun to belch forth sulphureousflames and smoke.
The character of the conqueror was one precisely adapted to suchexigencies as this. Through the whole course of his wonderful career, heseems to have rushed into difficulty, for the mere pleasure of fightinghis way out. In order to extricate himself, he never lost a moment inparleying or diplomacy. His measures were bold, decided, and direct,indicating a self-reliance, and a confidence in his men and means, whichis the surest guaranty of success. In this case, having satisfiedhimself of the actual existence of a conspiracy, he sent for the chiefrulers, upbraided them with their want of hospitality, informed themthat he should leave the place at break of day the next morning, anddemanded a large number of men, to assist in removing his baggage.Promising to comply with this demand, which favored the execution oftheir own designs, the chiefs departed, and Cortez and his band,sleeping on their arms, prepared for the coming conflict.
Punctually, at the peep of dawn, the princes of Cholula marched into thecourt, accompanied by a much larger number of men than Cortez hadrequired. With a calm bold air, the haughty Castilian confronted them,charging them with treachery, and detailing all the circumstances of theconcerted massacre. He upbraided them with their duplicity and baseness,and gave them to understand that they should pay dear for theirfalse-hearted and cruel designs against those, who, confiding in theirhospitality and promises of friendship, had come to their city, andslept quietly within their gates.
Thunderstruck at this unexpected turn of affairs, and fearing more thanever the strange beings, who could read their very thoughts, and fathomthe designs which were yet scarcely matured in their own bosoms, thedisconcerted magnates tremblingly pleaded guilty to the charge, andattempted to excuse themselves, by urging their allegiance to Montezuma,and the duty and necessity of obeying his commands, however repugnantto their own feelings.
It was not the policy of Cortez to admit this plea, in extenuation oftheir treachery. He preferred to cast the whole burden upon them alone,and leave the way open for an easy disclaimer on the part of theemperor, hoping thereby the more readily to gain a peaceable entry intothe capital. Without waiting, therefore, for any further explanations,or instituting any inquiry into the comparative guilt of the parties, hegave the signal to his soldiers, who, with a general discharge of theirartillery and fire arms, rushed upon the unprepared multitude, mowingthem down like grass, and trampling them under the hoofs of theirhorses. A general massacre ensued. Not one of the chiefs escaped, andonly so many of their panic-struck followers, as could feign themselvesdead, or bury themselves, till the tempest was past, under the heaps oftheir slain comrades.
Thus taken by surprise, and driven, before they were ready, into anunequal conflict with enemies who had, by some miracle, as theysupposed, anticipated their movements, and struck the first blow, theCholulans rushed in from all parts of their city, hoping to retrieve, bytheir numbers and prowess, the disadvantage of the lost onset. Cortezhad prepared for this. He had ordered his artillery to be stationed atthe main entrances to the square, where they poured in a raking fireupon the assailants, rushing in from all the avenues. The surprise beingso sudden, and the leaders having been shot down at the first charge,confusion and consternation prevailed among the discomfited Cholulans,who alternately fled, like affrighted sheep, from the scene ofslaughter, and then rushed back, like exasperated wolves, to the work ofdeath.
In anticipation of this conflict, the Spanish general had concerted asignal with his Tlascalan allies, without the gates, who now camerushing in, like hungry tigers, revelling in the opportunity to inflicta terrible vengeance upon their ancient enemies. Falling upon theirrear, as they crowded in from the remoter quarters of the city towardsthe field of carnage, they drove them in upon the weapons of theSpaniards, from which
there was now no escape. Turning upon this newenemy, they fought with desperate bravery, to win a retreat. But theywere cut down on this side and that, till the streets were scarcelypassable for the heaps of the dead and dying that cumbered them. Thosewho took refuge in their houses and temples, found no safety in suchretreats, for they were instantly fired by the Tlascalans, and theirdefenders perished miserably in the flames.
There was one scene in the midst of this desolating conflict, that wastruly sublime,--one of those strange combinations of moral and physicalgrandeur, which sometimes occur in the dark annals of human warfare,investing with a kind of hallowed interest, which the lapse of agesserves only to soften, but never destroys, those spectacles of savagebut heroic cruelty, where every death is elevated into a martyrdom, andthe very ground saturated with human blood becomes a consecrated field,clothed with laurels of never-fading green. It was the last act in thatbloody drama, enacted on the lofty summit of the great Teocalli, theprincipal temple of Cholula, and the centre of attraction to all thevotaries of the Aztec religion, throughout the wide realms of Anahuac.Driven from street to street, and from quarter to quarter, and fallingback, as a forlorn hope, upon the sanctuary, and the support andencouragement of the hoary men, who presided over the mysteries of theirfaith, they made a bold and desperate stand, in defence of all that wasdear and holy in their homes and their altars. Step by step, theycontested this hallowed ground, till they reached the upper terrace,where the great temple stood. This was an area of four hundred feetsquare, at an elevation of two hundred feet from the level of thesurrounding streets. On this elevated platform, the furious combatantsfought hand to hand; the priest, in his sacred garments, mingling in thesavage conflict with the humblest of his followers--the steel-cladCastilian, the Tlascalan and the Cholulan, of every rank and grade, eacheager only to slay his man, grappled in the mortal conflict, till one orthe other fell in the death struggle, or tumbled over the side of themound, to be dashed in pieces below. As the half-armed, half-nakednatives melted away before the heavy and destructive weapons of theinvulnerable Spaniards, they were repeatedly offered quarter, butscorned to accept it. One only submitted, when, pierced with countlesswounds, he could stand no longer. All the rest, to a man, foughtdesperately till he fell, and many, even then, in the agonies of thelast struggle, seized their antagonists by the legs, and rolled withthem over the parapet, to the certain death of both.
At length the conflict ceased for want of a victim, and the conqueringCastilian, with a few of his Tlascalan allies, stood alone, inundisputed possession of this lofty vantage ground. The disheartenedCholulans, without leaders, without counsellors, seeing their sacredtemple in the hands of their enemies, felt that all was lost. Notanother blow was struck, but every where they bowed in submission to theirresistible conqueror.
The thunder of the artillery, and the smoke of the burning buildings,rising in a heavy column to the skies, announced to the Mexican army theconflict that was raging within the city. But, having orders not toengage in the fray, unless notified by the Cholulan chiefs that hisassistance was necessary, the brave Cuitlahua was compelled to wait thesummons. Burning to vindicate the honor of the Mexican arms, the herochafed under this cruel restraint, like a tiger chained in full view ofhis prey. He little doubted that the Castilians would fall by the handsof the Cholulans, encompassed as they were on every side, with no roomfor escape, or for the action of their horses. But he longed to have ashare in the victory. Drawing up his forces in the order of march, hestood, the whole day, in readiness to move at a moment's warning; and inthis attitude, he was still standing, when the tidings of the terribledisaster in the city reached him.
His veteran legions were with difficulty restrained from rushing to therescue. The army was almost in a state of mutiny, from their eagernessto avenge their slaughtered brethren in Cholula; and all the militaryauthority, and unbounded influence of Cuitlahua were required to keepthem in a state of due subordination.
The influence and authority of Cortez, on the other hand, were scarcelysufficient to restrain his victorious allies from ravaging the city, andputting men, women, and children to an indiscriminate slaughter. Sobitter and pervading was the old national animosity, that life wasscarcely worth possessing to a Tlascalan, if he must share its dailyblessings side by side with the Aztec. He hated the whole nation with aperfect implacable hatred. He execrated the very name, and never utteredit without a curse. Of this universal malediction, the Cholulan washonored with more than his appropriate share. The other subjects andtributaries of Montezuma they feared as well as hated. The Cholulansthey affected also to despise, though their contempt was not so thoroughas to mitigate in the least their fierce and uncontrollable hatred.
[C] As Americus Vespucius, in his letter to Lorenzo Di Pier-Francesco De Medici, reports having met with the lion in South America, I have taken the liberty to introduce him as a native in our forests, notwithstanding the prevalent opinion of naturalists to the contrary.